Can-Fite to collaborate with leading academic institutes on hepatitis C drug

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Can-Fite to collaborate with leading academic institutes on hepatitis C drug

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BioPharma Ltd. recently
announced that cooperation agreements were signed with two worldwide
leading research laboratories to promote the company's second drug
pipeline, CF102. This cooperation will facilitate joint research to
investigate the effect of CF102 on the hepatitis C virus (HCV).

One agreement was signed with Prof. Turkaspa, a world renowned expert in the research and treatment of liver diseases from the Rabin Medical Center in Israel; the second agreement was signed with Prof. Khalili, head of the Center for Neurovirology and Cancer Biology at Philadelphia Temple University and editor of scientific magazines in these fields.

FDA approval

The company has
also obtained approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
to carry out Phase I human clinical trials for its CF102 drug.

 
No HCV vaccines available

HCV
is predominantly transmitted through body fluids and less frequently by
sexual intercourse, and no vaccines are currently available. About 50%
to 85% of HCV infected patients develop a chronic form of the disease,
of whom 25% to 76% develop active chronic disease and cirrhosis, which
is the leading cause of liver transplantation in Europe and the US and
greatly increases the risk of liver cancer.

Patients
are currently offered drug therapy that generally consists of oral
Ribavirin in combination with interferon injections. These drugs have
severe adverse events and most patients rapidly become refractory to
them.

Fruitful collaborations

Prof. Pnina Fishman, CEO of Can-Fite, said
that "these cooperation agreements will substantially increase our
current understanding of the antiviral activity of CF102. Studying the
mechanism of drug activity is of utmost importance in the clinical
development. The two laboratories with which agreements were signed
have a world-class reputation in their fields and we are pleased with
these fruitful collaborations."

CF102 active against live inflammation

Can-Fite's
second pipeline drug, CF102, is currently being developed for the
treatment of liver diseases. The Company previously reported that
preclinical studies have suggested that the drug is active against
viral and autoimmune liver inflammation. CF102 was also found to
trigger programmed cell death (apoptosis) of liver cancer cells. The
company recently announced the completion of the preclinical
development program of CF102; an IND application to conduct a phase I
clinical trial was subsequently submitted to the FDA. It is projected
that this trial will be initiated in the US in January 2008.

About Can-Fite

Can-Fite Biopharma Ltd., established
in 2000, was founded on the basis of scientific findings made by Prof.
Pnina Fishman and focuses on the development of molecule-based drugs
that bind to receptors of cancerous or inflammatory cells and inhibit
their development.

Can-Fite's
development pipeline currently has two drugs: CF101 and CF102. The
company is simultaneously conducting several preclinical and clinical
trials with the two drugs for various indications. CF101 is being
studied for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, dry eye syndrome and
psoriasis. Can-Fite has also entered the development of CF102 for the
treatment of liver cancer, including liver cancer, hepatitis virus
infections and liver tissue regeneration.